[The impact of an asthmatic patient education program on asthma control and quality of life].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of an asthmatic patient education program on asthma control and quality of life. METHODS: The program, which consisted of a special clinic for asthma, an asthma education center and the Asthmatic Patients Association, was carried out in Peking University People's Hospital. Interview-administered questionnaire of two groups of adult outpatients between Apr. and Jun. in 2005, the educated group (56 cases), including those having taken part in the asthma education program, and the control group (30 cases), including those of another hospital in Beijing without systematic asthma education program. The level of control of asthma and the quality of life in the past 8 weeks were evaluated and compared. RESULTS: The rate of well-controlled asthma for the two groups was 61% (34 cases) and 10% (3 cases), respectively (chi2 = 20.50, P < 0.01); and the total score of quality of life for the two groups was 155 +/- 12 and 132 +/- 24, respectively (t = 5.17, P < 0.01). The results in the educated group were all better than those in the control group, the differences between the two groups being statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Our asthmatic patient education program can significantly improve asthma control and quality of life.